Illuminated highway signal



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"IIIII Eil E I Il v BY f www He ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES VETABELLE PHILLIPS CARTER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA ILLUMINATED HIGHWAY SIGNAL Application filed December 6, 1926. Serial No. 152,961.

This invention relates to illuminated highway signal signs and has for its obgect an improved signal sign which will give a maximum signalling eEect and be effective by day or night, also such a signal which is simple, rugged and cheap to construct, is weather proof, lends itself to ready changing of the indicia thereof, is accessible for repairs, which will provide for major and minor illumination of its opposite sides, and which is particularly adapted for a system of marking cross roads as hereinafter eX- plained.

In the drawings accompanying this application I show the preferred construction of my signal sign, Fig. 1 being a front elevation with the forward plates broken away to show the interior, Fig. 2 a vertical section along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a detail section of Fig. 1 taken along the line 3 3 thereof, Figs. 4 and 5 front and rear views respectively of the sign, and Fig. 6 a diagram of the intersection of two streets showing the use of my sign.

Briefly described my signal sign comprises a box-like structure carrying illuminating` means within and indicia on opposite sides, said indicia of one side specifying the name of a street or highway and the opposite side Some special traffic rule relating to said street or highway.

In construction the device takes the form of a iat diamond box with length arranged horizontally and supported at the lower corner on a pipe stand.

In the drawings the device comprises a diamond shaped frame 1 formed of a metal channel with inwardly turned flanges or legs Y 1, the frame being riveted at its lower corner to a special cast bracket 3 embracing both upwardly slanted lower runs of the frame and formed with a round socket 4 extending downwardly and threaded at 5 for screwing to the end of a pipe standard 6, while extendotherwise secured thereto and which is also ing upwardly through the frame is a hollow in the form of an inwardly turned channel but of greater width than the frame channel so that its legs 9 are spaced outwardly from the frame channel legs as clearly shown in Fig. 2 so as to receive therebetween the upper margins of diamond shaped side plates y 10 and 10 the lower margins of which plates bolt or screw directly to the iianges 1 on the two lower runs of the frame.

These plates are preferably of sheet metal and are Vpainted or enameled a bright color .on the outside and within their margins bear a'darkened area'11 through which the indicia is cut out so as to form an illuminated signal from lamps placed within the device.

In the representation the cut out indicia 12 on the forward face 10 of the signal sign reads STOP BOULEVARD whereas on the opposite plate it (13) reads B Street,

. the former being a police order as indicated by the star below, and the latter the actual name of the street ruiming parallel with the direction with which it is planted as shown in diagram 6.

Arranged against the inner surface of both plates is a sheet of ground or white translucent glass 14 held in place by horizontally extending retaining strips 15 of light metal spot welded or otherwise secured to the side plates, while spaced inward from opposite ends of the frame are vertically arranged sheet metal reflector stripsy 16 suitably attache-d to the frame to serve as braces as well as reflectors and which strips are curved adjacent the vertical sides (10') of the frame as shown at 16 in Fig. 3.

Arranged adjacent these reiiectors are vertically disposed incandescentrelectric lamps 17 screwed in what are known as sign sockets 18 clamped to a sheet metal angle piece 19 secured at 2O to the frame.

The lamps have circuit wires 21 leading to a common double plug 22 screwed into the socket 8 connected in turn to power wires 23 passing down the pipe 6, while within the socket 8 is preferably positioned a standard thermo switch flasher button 241 so that the lights will flash on and of continuously in an automatic manner.

By the arrangement described if either globe should burn out the other' will still serve to illuminate the signal and will continue to iash, and due to the shape of the reflectors 16 the lights will throw a major illumination in direction of indicia plate and a minor illumination in direction of indicia plate 10. To enhance the .illumination thej-nterigrxsurfaces-offrame and plates 10 andlaare'painted white.

Vent holes `are formed through the frame at point 26' and '27 and since these'arel shielded respectively by the plates 16 and19no .direct outward shining of the light takes place.

In operation the signs` are @planted at iintersectino streets or highwa 7s in the manner shown in Fig. Gsofthat amotoristasfat-'X on street approach-ing Bistreetromieither vdirection reads on' hisinirnediate.l rightithe .whereas glancing across B-streetat an angle theffacili-ty withV which a side plate bearing suitable indicia may-"be .slipped in place.

The sign isprefectly legible by day even lwithoutv the `lights going on accountf of the contrasting -color of the cut-ontpletters.

I claim: 1. A sign signal of the character described comprising alrelatively ylatrbox; arranged `vertically onedge, villuminating means-within said.box,-a bracket provided with a depending pipe -socketsecuredto the lower edge of the box, said box being formed -off an inwardly turned channel member, al second wider inwardly turned channelqcovering the-upper run of said first channel, with the downwardly extending flanges-of said second-channel spaced outwardly from the 'downwardly extending langes ofV saidfirst xmentioned'channel` and ,sidesfo the -box'bearing translucent cut-lout indicial marginally inserted". in the space therebetween.l

2. A sign signal `ofthe `characterdescribed comprising ai relatively fi'atbox supported vertically on edge, illuminating'means within the box, theedge of saidfbox being'formed of'an inwardlyturnedchannelmernloer, a'second iwi-der inwardly -turned channel, covering the upper -run of said' first channel with lthe downwardly extending flanges `of said'second channel outwardly spaced' from the downwardly extending flangesof said'first mentioned channel, and sides of tlie'box bearing cut-out indicia, the upper edges of said'sides being marginally inserted' lthespace therebetween andthe'lower edgesbeing suitably ttac'hed to their corresponding edge ofthe A signo'the character describedlcomprising a relatively fiat box supported vertically on edge, light transmitting indicia plates on the opposite vertical sides of the box, confronting strips adapted to reflect light arranged at opposite ends o'f the box extending substantially across the narrow width .of the box and Yattached 'to same, one edge VETABELLE PHILLIPS CARTER. 

